A new iPhone app for tracking buses in D.C. is now available, making it easier for residents to rely on transportation options beyond Metro and cabs.
Called BusTrackDC, the new app for tracking buses in D.C. launched earlier this month in an effort to replace the now-defunct NextBus app that so many residents relied heavily on to plan their bus travels around the city.
BusTrackDC is free and adds what one reviewer calls “much needed competition to the D.C. Bus app market.” The new app for tracking buses in D.C. is also open source as the developer, Jason Rosenbaum, says he hopes people with devices other than the iPhone can adapt the technology to work on other platforms.
The new app for tracking buses in D.C. finds bus stops near your current location. Then, users can click on stops to see real-time WMATA estimates for when each bus line is expected at the stops. If WMATA does not have an anticipated bus arrival time for that stop, the app provides the listed schedule time there. Users can also click on a line to see the route on a map so they’ll know if a particular bus is going where they want to go.
D.C. commuters have really needed a new app for tracking buses after NextBus DC, which used GPS tracking technology to track the buses, stopped working late last year when the company that provided the data stream pulled the plug on its connection with NextBus DC.
Bus commuters in Washington D.C. can also track next bus arrivals through WMTA itself by signing up for text alerts on a given route and stop. But residents who want to thumb through a user-friendly, visually oriented app on their mobile devices should test out the new app for tracking buses in D.C.
For More Information:
Rock Creek Realty: http://www.rcrdc.com/
BusTrackDC: http://j-ro.github.com/WheresTheBusDC/
WTMA: http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/nextbus/arrivals.cfm
Popville on BusTrackDC: http://www.popville.com/2013/02/new-iphone-app-bustrackdc-launches-today/
